A matter of principle for internal comms

Internal comms measurement is increasingly becoming a hot topic within many companies and for the profession as a whole. I’m sure within your organisation that measurement, how to demonstrate results and reporting are issues that are being regularly discussed.

A set of measurement guidelines are being developed by internal comms specialists, similar to the Barcelona Principles for PR, and now is your chance to have your say.

On 13 June a half day CIPR Inside summit was held in London and more than 50 practitioners took part and debated how best to show the value of internal communication. The image on this page was created by Creative Connection from the key points of that session.

As a result of the summit eight key initial principles were identified. They are:

Set measurable internal communication objectives and make research and measurement part of everyday internal communication activity

Outputs are not enough, outcomes and behaviour change should also be measured

Build action planning into any measurement process from the start

Collaborate with departments across the organisation to determine what needs to be measured

Link measurement to employee engagement and corporate performance

Establish real-time, regular reporting

Use sentiment analysis to find out what is trending internally

Go beyond basic data to find insights from deep analysis

What do you think of the initial principles? Do you agree with them?

I think it’s great news that principles for IC measurement are being created. It sounds like the summit went well and the eight initial ones listed above are a fantastic start. From my point of view it feels like there is repetition in some of them but I’m sure the wording can be tightened. Change is such a huge area of focus for internal comms professionals and I would like to see that reflected in the principles. I agree that collaboration with other departments is essential and think going beyond basic data is critical.

What do you think?CIPR Inside is now seeking further comments from practitioners over the summer before publishing the final principles for the industry in the autumn at the CIPR Inside annual conference. You can take part in the conversation via the post on CIPR Conversation, on Twitter @CIPRInside or via LinkedIn, do take this opportunity to have your say, Rachel.